Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough, but if you’re like me, your mind will go to a different word for 1-Across. They mean the same thing, but have different letters. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Wines that Napa Valley is renowned for, informally
Answer: CABS

5A clue: «Right away!»
Answer: ATONCE

8A clue: School students
Answer: PUPILS

9A clue: Make a mistake … or 8-Across backward
Answer: SLIPUP

10A clue: Many a new driver
Answer: TEEN

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Items of clothing that may be worn backward
Answer: CAPS

2D clue: ___ Gawande, surgeon with the #1 New York Times best seller «Being Mortal»
Answer: ATUL

3D clue: Hasbro toy with a pull handle and twistable crank
Answer: BOPIT

4D clue: Criticize snarkily, with «at»
Answer: SNIPE

6D clue: You’re reading it
Answer: CLUE

7D clue: Channel with «2» and «U» spinoffs
Answer: ESPN

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition is a mix of easy and hard. If you start to recognize a certain state’s teams, you’ll do well. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Take the bases.

Green group hint: Golden State.

Blue group hint: Same first name.

Purple group hint: Hockey teams.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: A base runner’s actions.

Green group: California college teams.

Blue group: Reggies.

Purple group: First words of NHL team names.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is a base runner’s actions. The four answers are lead, slide, steal and tag.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is California college teams. The four answers are Bears, Bruins, Cardinal and Trojans.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Reggies. The four answers are Bush, Jackson, Miller and White.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is first words of NHL team names. The four answers are blue, golden, maple and red.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

OK, today’s Connections puzzle purple category made me laugh out loud. Spacey! Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, showing number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Leathery meat.

Green group hint: Plug in, rock out.

Blue group hint: You’ll need a wide straw.

Purple group hint: Celestial bodies get a makeover.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Qualities of overcooked meat.

Green group: Play some electric guitar.

Blue group: Ingredients in bubble tea.

Purple group: Planets/dwarf planet with first letter changed.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is qualities of overcooked meat. The four answers are chewy, dry, stringy and tough.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is play some electric guitar. The four answers are jam, noodle, shred and solo.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ingredients in bubble tea. The four answers are boba, milk, sugar and tea.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is planets/dwarf planet with first letter changed. The four answers are Bluto, Cars, Darth and Genus, for Pluto, Mars, Earth and Venus.